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Sean Burton

Men's Basketball

#9 Bombers Rally Late to Drop Saxons 73-71

Sean Burton matched his season-high with 28 points.

ITHACA, N.Y.--Sophomore Chris Cruz (West Genesee/Syracuse) hit a tie-breaking layup with 34 seconds to play to give Ithaca (20-1, 11-1 Empire 8) a 72-70 lead over Alfred (7-13, 2-9 Empire 8). The Bombers, who saw a 10 point halftime lead vanish, went on to a 73-71 win, their eighth straight.

Cruz scored on an assist from senior Brendan Rogers (Liverpool/Liverpool), who had gotten the ball on an offensive rebound. Alfred drew a foul on their ensuing possession, but could make only one of their two free throws.

Forced to give their own foul, the Saxons sent Rogers to the line to shoot one-and-one. The Bomber guard hit his first free throw and, with just four seconds left on the clock, the Saxons could not get a shot off despite grabbing a rebound on the second.

With 10 points, Cruz was one of four Ithaca players to reach double-figures in scoring. Senior Sean Burton (Yorkville/Notre Dame) led the Bombers with 28, and senior Sean Leahy (West Genesee/Syracuse) and freshman Jordan Marcus (Solomon Schechter/West Orange, N.J.) each contributed 11. Burton and Leahy each picked up double-doubles, with 10 assists and 10 rebounds, respectively.

Ithaca came out of halftime with a 40-30 lead, but a 13-3 Alfred run to open the second half gave the visitors a 43-42 advantage. The Bombers reclaimed the lead on seven unanswered points, but an 8-2 run put Alfred up 54-53 lead with 8:30 to play.

With the two teams tied at 67 with under two minutes left in the game, senior Scott Ruffrage (Utica Notre Dame/Whitesboro) hit a three-pointer to give the Bombers a lead, but Alfred soon tied the score on a three-point basket of their own. Cruz scored the eventual game-winning points on the next Ithaca possession.

The Bombers did not trail in the first half, scoring the game's first five points and jumping out to a 26-12 lead in the first ten minutes. The Saxons pulled the score to 36-30 in the game's final minutes, but Burton hit a pair of jumpers in the half's waning seconds to give the Bombers the 10-point advantage.

The team continues its home stand Tuesday with an 8 p.m. game against Stevens Institute of Technology. The Bombers beat the Ducks 84-80 in Hoboken, N.J. on Jan. 25.

Box Score